Things You'll Need:
- Dog Food (Puppy or Lactation)
- Vet
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Step 1
Feed the dog as you normally would during its first six weeks of pregnancy. Pregnant dogs do not need any extra nutrition during the very early stages of gestation. In fact, since many dogs develop morning sickness, they may not be able to eat much anyway. Yet, if it looks like your dog isn’t eating anything, you will want to get them checked out by a vet.
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Step 2
Increase your dog’s diet by 25% each week after the first six weeks of gestation. So, at week six, the dog’s food would be increased 25%. This is the first time you would change her rations. At week 7 you would increase her food again by 25%, making the amount bigger than what she ate at week 6. You continue following this pattern until her puppies are born.
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Step 3
Use puppy food or lactation dog food. At week six, pregnant dogs should eat puppy food or lactation dog food, since they contain the most amount of nutrients.
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Step 4
Give your dog several small meals throughout the day. As your dog’s puppies continue developing, they may compress her stomach, limiting how much food she can consume at one time. To counteract this problem, you will want to feed your dog smaller rations consistently throughout the day.
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Step 5
Avoid overfeeding or underfeeding your dog during any stage of its pregnancy. Overfeeding a pregnant dog could result in fat developing over her reproductive organs, which could make labor difficult if not impossible. And, if labor can’t occur at all, your dog may have to undergo a Cesarean section, a procedure that is costly and slightly risky (since it is still a surgical procedure). However, if a dog is underfeed, they could risk developing eclampsia. This is a condition where a dog develops a very low blood calcium level. And, if it’s not treated, eclampsia could result in seizures and eventually death.
